The SMD: Bump in the Night Right Back

How steadfastly enamored she is, of that which scares the bejeezus out of her. It's almost like Logan has to push her imagination in a terrifying direction so she's thankful for the commonplace conflict she most frequently is up against (me). At the tender age of five, she insists upon the adrenaline rush most clamor to avoid.

We bought Coraline the other day, at her insistence she really wanted it/had to have it, it was her one treat of the outing. We'd watched it together before, she was slightly worse for the ware, but her whole kick is to rise against the challenge, so I indulged her. If I could handle James and the Giant Peach and Nightmare Before Christmas, then she's cool too, I figure. Side note: What exactly happened to Tim Burton in his formative years that has inspired such creepy-creepshow ramifications? He and Stephen King should get together and create an original work of biblical proportions and put the torture porn horror genre of today out of its misery. Pun intended.

Anyways, dread time (or bedtime to the layperson) becomes literal for her after the creepy movie du jour (which is true of most people). A tenth drink of water, another installment of Wubbzy, a categorical list of what's in the bathroom cupboards. Anything to keep her from the lights going out, and the shadows befalling. Still, she HAS to see it. Like, mad-at-me-for-days-if-I-deny-her, has to. Jumanji is the only other movie that twisted her up as bad (the notion that animals are out to destroy you is disquieting for anyone, let alone a kid that normally sees nothing but cuddly happy versions), but I'll be damned if she will stop the show and find something less frightening.

Fear is a powerful motivator, an equally powerful entertainer due to that fact. Hardwired to be "afraid" for survival reasons, and I suspect also, that if we ourselves are capable of so much-for lack of a better term-evil, then we can only expect it from elsewhere. Especially the dark.

No matter the rationale behind it, it's bizarre to watch her want to watch them. At first signs of anxious and wide-eyed, as a mom I want to protect and distract, but she's hell bent on seeing it through. A crucial part of growth is to face what you fear head-on and know you can overcome, and many of the "scary" movies geared toward kids do send that message, at least. Coraline doesn't take the malicious misfortune lying down, she rallies and rails against the Other Mother and her spindly manipulation. Perhaps Logan knows that she'd do the same, and a vivid demonstration is comforting. That's why I'll always press play.

It's supposedly easier to manage our fears as the grown-ups, they tend to get more social/interpersonal. You don't fret about a giant spider woman stalking you down (which might be an oversight that's scary shit) half as much as you do about getting rejected in front of your peers, dying sad and alone, or losing your job. Does that make us less or more enlightened than the youngens?

If nothing else, I've instilled that it's only a movie and it can't hurt her. Just pretends. The light switch is a few feet away, the strength shown to antagonistic characters always helps to shove them back into their respective caves/castles/swamps etc. If only us grown-ups could talk ourselves down as easily, what a safe world it really would be.